England manager Thomas Tuchel channels Rafael Nadal mindset after naming World Cup squad - 'It's about building a brotherhood'
Published 22/05/2026 at 17:50 GMT+1
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England's World Cup campaign is on the horizon after Thomas Tuchel confirmed his 26-player squad for the tournament and the manager is channeling inspiration from a legend of another sport.
Tuchel says he picked 'best team' not '26 most talented players'
Video credit: SNTV
The Three Lions boss was asked about his selections, with the exclusions of Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold a particular talking point.
Tuchel highlighted the importance of "energy and chemistry", insisting that "the best group is not necessarily the 26 most talented players,"
But he also spoke more broadly about England's chances of winning the World Cup and ending a 60-year wait to lift the Jules Rimet trophy.
And in doing so, Tuchel quoted tennis great Rafael Nadal, 14-time winner of the French Open - which you can watch over the next two weeks live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.
"I heard a quote from Rafael Nadal: 'I'm not a winner, I'm a competitor'. That's how I arrive in the US for this tournament," Tuchel said. "It's about building a brotherhood and a certain energy. Then we can transmit that to our fans.
"Once we get that right, anything is possible. We will try to win this tournament. But it makes no sense to try to digest the whole cake at once, we will chunk it up."
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Tuchel lauds 'one of a kind' Guardiola as Man City exit confirmed
Video credit: SNTV
England will hope their players are as comfortable on North American pitches as Nadal was on clay courts.
Tuchel has suggested that will be the case.
"We have specialists for different scenarios," he said. "When we're leading or chasing a result, we have set-piece specialists for that. And we want to be a strong penalty team, we have specialists for that.
"The majority of this selection is from the players who were with us in September, October and November.Â
"It's important to say I'm grateful to all players who helped us qualify. I tried to show my appreciation in telling them in personal phone calls. I called every player who was at least once with us to tell them my decision. Even if it was a disappointing message."
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On the structure of his squad, Tuchel said: "From day one, we were clear we were trying to build the best possible team.
"Not necessarily the 26 most talented players. Teams win championships. What we're trying to achieve can only be achieved as a team.
"Nine defenders for four positions, seven midfielders for three positions and seven forwards for three positions.Â
"We have players ready and committed to the idea of team spirit and being unselfish.
"Adaptation comes naturally in the defensive approach. There are so many formations on the other side. It should be flexible to adapt our defensive approach.Â
"Will we change our structure? We will try to stick with what makes us strong, and we have a clear idea we have the key players in the position to make a difference.Â
"The target is more to reconnect with our values in the first 10 days and then prepare for Croatia in Kansas."
England begin their World Cup campaign against Croatia in Dallas on June 17. That is followed by group games versus Ghana and Panama.
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